2025 Annual-report

THE BLAZE REPORT 27 career came to an end. Our pre-season was shaped by various player departures and arrivals; we were thrilled to welcomeEngland wicketkeeper Amy Jones from Edgbaston and experiencedWorld Cup winner Georgia Elwiss, who joined off the back of a successful period at SouthernVipers.Young seamer Charley Philips joined from Sunrisers, and it was especially pleasing to award first professional contracts to PrishaThanawala, Amy Wheeler, and Olivia Baker, all of whom progressed from our Academy. Our preparations culminated in a productive tour to Abu Dhabi, where we balanced 50-over fixtures with the Abu Dhabi T20 competition. For the second successive year, we won the T20 element of the tour, gaining valuable momentum along- side the developmental purpose of being able to train and compete outdoors at this stage of the year. The season opened at Trent Bridge with a hard-fought loss to Lanca- shire, but this proved to be our only defeat across the first eight One Day Cup group fixtures. A thrilling tie away at Surrey – both sides reaching 347 – became one of the standout matches of the competition. Tammy Beaumont was irrepressible, scoring centuries against Essex and Hampshire, the latter in front of more than 4,000 spectators during Trent Bridge’s Bank Holiday Food Festival, an event that the team always really enjoy. Georgia Elwiss settled quickly into Blaze colours, averaging 80 through the opening block, while contributions from across the squad secured victories over Durham, Essex, Hampshire,Warwickshire, and Somerset. Our One Day Cup journey ended with a third semi-final loss of the summer, despite a superb century from Kathryn Bryce. Her outstanding season was recognised with both the One Day Cup PCA Player of the Season award and the overall PCA Most Valuable Player title – more honours to add to her cabinet and that each reflect her growing stature on the global stage. Running alongside the 50-over competition, the ECBT20 County Cup (cricket’s equivalent of the FA Cup), offered opportunities for rotation and development.We used the competition to manage work- loads for senior players and expose younger cricketers to knockout pressure.Wins over Oxfordshire and Kent took us to Finals Day in Somerset, where Lancashire, driven by a world-class spell from Sophie Ecclestone, unfortunately ended our run. On the international stage, we were incredibly proud when Nat Sciver- Brunt was made England captain in April 2025, and immediately set about leading the side to a 3-0 sweep in an ODI series over theWest Indies before skippering her country to second in the table at theWorld Cup. She continued to shine with the bat in particular within her new role, scoring a record-breaking 117 against Sri Lanka in the competition, whilst also taking crucial wickets throughout the tourmanent. Nat’s all-round dominance and contributions to the game were rightly recognised in receiving the PCA Rado Recognition prize at the end of the summer, and we can’t wait to see her captain her nation in a homeWorld Cup next year. Ireland all-rounder Orla Prendergast arrived as our overseas player but understandably returned home due to a family bereavement. Her replacement, New Zealand international Maddy Green, made an immediate impression with 97 against Somerset and a crucial cameo in a tight T20 Blast win over Lancashire. For the latter part of the Blast, we welcomed back Australian Heather Graham, who had been so influential in our T20 title win the previous summer. The ICCT20World Cup arrives on home soil next summer, and whilst we won’t be hosting any matches at “HER [KATHRYNBRYCE] OUTSTANDING SEASONWAS RECOGNISED WITH BOTH THE ONE DAY CUP PCA PLAYER OF THE SEASON AWARD AND THE OVERALL PCA MOST VALUABLE PLAYER TITLE.” James Cutt